Today, around 15 constituents of Representative Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids delivered a report produced by MoveOn.org Political Action that highlights the costs of the Iraq War. The report, titled "The War at Home: What the Iraq War has Cost Michigan's 3rd Congressional District," is heavily based on numbers by the National Priorities Project that place the cost of the Iraq War for residents of Ehlers' 3rd Congressional District at $818 million out of a total cost of $12.12 billion for the state of Michigan.
According to the report the money spent on the war--which is now at an average cost of $4,100 per household--could have been "used to improve the lives of Americans instead of putting them at risk." The report asserts that:
47 million Americans lack health insurance, Head Start is underfunded, college tuition is skyrocketing, our homeland is not secure with only on out of every 20 port containers getting inspected and our bridges and roads are aging. The $818 million being spent on the unwinnable civil war in Iraq should be put to better use for American taxpayers where we need it most--in our own backyard, fixing our aging bridges and roads or improving the lives of our residents.
For residents of Ehlers' district, the $818 million spent on the war thus far could have provided:
- Health care coverage for 281,159 people or 559, 154 kids
- Head Start for 122,643 additional kids
- 11,410 elementary school teachers
- 88,796 scholarships to make college more affordable
- Renewable electricity for 1,149,764 homes
- 6,595 affordable housing units
- 17,688 public safety officers to keep the streets safe
The report also asserts that the cost of the war is due in part to "promises broken" and "policies failed." The report reminds readers that estimates made by the Bush administrations in 2002 that the war would cost $50 to $60 billion. Today, 9 times that amount has already been spent and estimates have suggested that the war may eventually cost more than $1 trillion. In terms of "polices failed," the report characterizes the situation in Iraq as "an unwinnable religious civil war." It is never made clear what precisely is meant by the term, but the report contains references showing government officials describing the situation as a "civil war" and showing that some generals believe the war is a failure. The Iraq War has also threatened the safety of the United States according to the report, with rising costs eclipsing homeland security funding--9% compared to the 21% of the FY2007 budget allocated for the Iraq War--while intelligence reports have suggested that al Qaeda will attempt to use Iraq as a staging ground for attacks on the United States.
